Advantages of remote work for companies

1.Increased productivity

The main positive aspect of remote work for companies is the high level of productivity. Employees are not distracted by communicating with each other and gossiping. Employees also plan their day wisely so as not to overwork or, on the contrary, finish faster in order to do household chores.

One of the main studies on this issue to date is a two-year study from Stanford University in which a group of 500 workers was divided into two groups: one working in an office and the other working from home. Over the course of the study, the productivity gains from working from home were equivalent to one additional full day of work.

2. Reduced equipment costs.

Providing equipment for a busy work environment can be expensive, and even more so for IT companies. Servers, computers, routers, mobile phones for testing on all platforms, laptops, printers, ergonomic chairs and more.

In the case of remote work, this problem is automatically solved. Yes, you may have to spend money on a laptop for a new employee, but at least the costs of furniture, paper and Internet payments will no longer be a headache.

3. Saving on office rent

For employers, renting office space can be extremely expensive, so anything that can help reduce these costs is usually welcome. Remote work capabilities can help with this by reducing the amount of office space needed, potentially allowing for moves to much smaller spaces or the elimination of offline meetings altogether. It is much cheaper to pay once or twice a month to rent an open space, for example, for collaboration or just to meet with the team in a neutral place. IT employees do not need to hold offline meetings with clients every day, so saving on office rent is one of the main advantages of remote work.

4. Access to a wider talent pool

An often overlooked benefit of remote work is the removal of some of the barriers to employment that are typically associated with office work. Companies are able to expand their talent search and find the most qualified people for every role, regardless of location.

Typically, when a physical workplace presence is required, recruiting efforts are naturally limited to the surrounding area or to people willing to relocate. However, when it is possible to manage remote teams, such restrictions become much less relevant, and new employees can potentially be hired from anywhere in the world.

5. Reducing the number of absenteeism and sick leave

When working in an office, an employee may miss a working day for a personal reason: a trip to the doctor, family force majeure, or due to illness: with a temperature of 38 in the subway it is unlikely to be comfortable.

Working from home helps to significantly reduce such days. Since the employee does not need to waste time on the road, he can spend a couple of hours going to the doctor and continue working. Also, if sick, an employee can continue to do work without leaving home, taking medications and not infecting employees. Also, remote work reduces the level of anxiety, which has recently also become a reason for employees to be absent from the workplace.

Now let’s move on to the disadvantages of remote work for IT professionals, which is ironic, because some of them will be advantages for the company.

Disadvantages of remote work for IT professionals

Of course, the advantages of remote work are a wider geography of searching for vacancies, independent planning of the working day and the fact that you do not need to waste time on the road. Now let’s talk about the cons.

Deterioration of team relationships
While remote work has made it easier for teams to communicate using proper technology, it has limited face-to-face and face-to-face interactions with colleagues, making it difficult to build relationships and social interaction with teammates.

Plus, IT specialists in large companies often work on different projects, in which case they do not have the opportunity to run for a smoke break and chat for a couple of minutes or simply see each other.

16% of remote workers report feeling lonely because they no longer have their workspace as a social outlet to regularly interact and stay connected with colleagues. Unlike a traditional office, which can serve as an ideal social environment for communication and relationship building, in a remote work environment, colleagues do not have the luxury of casual interaction, and even if they do, it is usually for work-related reasons. This can cause frustration and lead to boredom, loneliness, isolation and ultimately burnout, which negatively impacts employee mental health.

2. Impaired work-life balance

A fifth of remote workers find it difficult to “switch off” from work when working remotely, as on average they work more hours at home than in the office. And sometimes, remote workers say they work more than 40 hours a week, which is 43% more likely than on-site employees. While this can be a good thing because it discourages laziness, it also means that remote work impacts specific work hours and increases burnout rates. Therefore, it is very important to set boundaries between work and personal life:

Drawing up a schedule. Even if an employee has variable working hours, it is better to work at the same time every day in order to get used to “working” and “home time”;
Spend lunch time separately from the laptop, you can even eat outside the home, as for example in the office colleagues go to lunch together. For the brain to switch gears and rest;
Arrangement of the workplace. Not only can you work at the same time, it is advisable to also do it in your home office. If you work from bed in pajamas, then the work-home boundary will be completely erased and every day will turn into “Groundhog Day.”
3. Too much independence

Although it is possible to remain productive while working remotely, there is a possibility of low motivation and discipline to achieve the goal since there is no active supervision and colleagues may not be around to provide the mood. Moreover, employees tend to procrastinate and are relaxed about their work responsibilities.

This is especially true for new employees and junior developers. When applying for a new job, a novice IT specialist goes through his or her job with a mentor, who can be asked a lot of stupid questions and who will help him get acquainted with the new project. This becomes a little more difficult remotely; writing every time on a new question is not as convenient as asking in person.

4. The need to purchase equipment

What has become a plus for companies is clearly a minus for employees. Working as a remote programmer means that you will have to buy a computer for coding yourself, and this is not cheap at all. Plus, IT specialists often use multiple monitors for more convenient work, but this is more about professionals. You also need to have constant fast access to the Internet and spend money on a computer chair that should be healthy and fit into your interior.

Conclusion

We looked at remote work from a rather unusual perspective and we hope that it was useful.

Remote work is good for some people, but only for some. If you are a team member who values the flexibility and freedom of working from home, this can be a positive experience and a stepping stone to your career.

However, this may not be suitable for you if you are constantly distracted or disconnected from your colleagues due to a lack of face-to-face interaction.

If you consider remote work as a manager, then everything is simple. The main thing is the ability to manage employees remotely and be aware of all projects and their readiness.

If you learn to manage your time and capabilities, remote work will be the best choice for both parties, because in the near future this is most likely what awaits us all.